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Prostate Cancer UK welcomes SMC abiraterone approval

Decision delivers victory for charity's campaign for full UK-wide availability

Prostate Cancer UK (formerly The Prostate Cancer Charity) has welcomed the Scottish Medicines Consortium's (SMC) decision to recommend abiraterone for use on the NHS in Scotland for men with incurable prostate cancer.

The news comes just two weeks after Prostate Cancer UK renewed its call for abiraterone to be made available in Scotland, after Northern Ireland had joined England and Wales in approving the drug for NHS use.

Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: "This fantastic, if long overdue, news is an absolute triumph for everyone in Scotland who joined us in campaigning for men with incurable prostate cancer to be allowed abiraterone on the NHS. Today brings a victory for both decency and common sense. Abiraterone has now been approved for use on the NHS UK-wide, and I thank and congratulate everyone who backed us and helped us achieve this result.

"Now that the correct decision has been made, health boards must waste no time in ensuring that men who need abiraterone can access it as soon as possible. Men with incurable prostate cancer should not be subjected to any further delays at a stage in their life when time is at an absolute premium."